The Real Aiden
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Aiden has finally revealed himself as one of the villains. Brody is going to have to work to get over this betrayal to do what's right for the team. However, that isn't always easy.
1. The Body's Limits

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Ninja Steel_

The sunrise was closer than the sunset, but Brody was still out in his field, keeping up with his training. It had been all evening and now all night since he had been training, but he wasn't ready to stop.

He didn't have his Power Star. He needed to ensure he was ready for anything. Training was the only way he could do that.

He didn't regret giving up his Power Star. It needed to be done. Aiden was strangling Sarah with a ribbon, and it all happened so quickly, Brody didn't have time to come up with another way to help her. He'd give up the Power Star all over again if he had to. He wouldn't change his response.

What he would change, and what he did regret, was the events leading up to the strangulation. If he had just put more faith in Sarah and less in his brother, he never would have been in a position to give up his Power Star. Sarah had tried to warn him that Aiden couldn't be trusted but Brody hadn't heeded her warning. He thought he knew better. He thought, since Aiden was his brother, that there was no need to question what he had done.

He thought, no matter what, he could depend on his older brother. Aiden had always been there for him when they were younger. Brody thought it would all be the same.

"Brody! Brody, stop it!" Preston shouted as he rushed out of the house and grabbed Brody, pulling him away from the punching bag that he was beating hard. "Brody, calm down!"

Every muscle in his body was crying out for him to stop. He had pushed himself so hard that he felt like he was going to collapse, but he didn't. He stood, fists clenched as he glared at Preston.

"Let me go!"

"Brody, you've been out all night," Preston said and pointed to the horizon, where some sunlight was creeping its way out. At first glance, Brody thought that was what was left from the sunset, but when he saw Preston was in his pyjamas, he realized it was the beginning of the sunrise. "This isn't healthy, you have to stop."

Brody shook his head. He couldn't stop. He didn't have his Power Star, so he didn't have his Ranger powers. If Galvanax attacked, or if Aiden showed up again, he needed to be ready. He wasn't about to let his team down. His mind flashed back to that moment at the ribbon tree, with the ribbon wrapped tightly around Sarah's neck as her face turned red and her lips turned purple.

He'd never let that happen again.

"Get out of my way," Brody shoved Preston aside and turned to his punching bag. It was barely in any condition to be used, but Brody didn't have another and so it would have to do. As he was about to throw a punch, Preston jumped in the way. "Move!"

"You're going to make yourself sick," Preston stated. "You're not help to anyone!"

"Are you trying to be tough, now?" Brody growled. "The whole reason you're here is because you can't stand up to your own parents!"

Preston knew it was the fatigue speaking. Brody had been training all night long. He wasn't thinking straight. He ignored the statement as he remained planted firmly between Brody and the punching bag.

"You're exhausted. You need to rest."

"I need to be ready."

"You think you're ready? Ready for what?" Preston challenged. "Tell me, if Aiden were to come back, right now, you'd have it in you to take him on."

Brody pointed to his punching bag. Preston shook his head.

"You'd lose control," he said. "You're going to get one of us killed, or you'll get yourself killed."

"I won't let that happen!" Brody shouted. "I'd never let my friends get hurt!"

"I'm not saying you'll let it happen," Preston said. "But if you don't rest, right now…"

"He played me!" Brody screamed. "My brother played me and that's not going to happen again!"

"Brody…"

"Because of me, they have two Power Stars!" Brody growled. "Because of me, we're down two Rangers. I'm not letting him get away with this! He's going to see that only makes us stronger."

"Not like this it doesn't," Preston shook his head. "Brody, a gentle breeze is going to knock you right out!"

"I'm fine!"

"I don't want to have to do it," Preston said. "But you need to rest, and if you're not going to do it yourself…"

"I said I'm fine!" Brody shouted, so Preston flicked his wrist, casting a spell to put the red Ranger to sleep. Brody crumbled as his body shut down for some rest. Preston breathed a sigh of relief, then looks to his teammate on the ground.

"Great, now how do I get you all the way to bed?"

-Ninja-Steel-

That morning, Kelly's very first stop was the hospital.

When Galvanax had sent a monster to shake up the city, the earthquake caused the school to collapse. Kelly was sure the plan was to crush the Rangers, but instead, the building only fell on Levi and Kelly as they were discussing one of Kelly's tests in his office. Levi only had some bruising and scratches, but Kelly's leg had been crushed under a piece of concrete.

Her doctor had saved her leg. It didn't need to be amputated, but she was stuck in a heavy cast for a few weeks while it healed up. I had been a couple of weeks already, and so the doctor had scheduled a follow-up, just to see how progress was going. Kelly was waiting for the results of that now, hoping for the best, but dreading the worst. Her injury had been very severe.

Sarah had come with her. Kelly was glad to have her girlfriend there. No matter the news, she knew she could lean on Sarah if she needed it.

The doctor walked in, holding the x-rays. He set them on the screen to show Kelly, though she had no idea what she was looking at. When she felt Sarah squeeze her hand, she hoped it was from excitement.

"Right now, everything is looking good," the doctor said. "You're healing better than we expected, in fact."

"I am?" Kelly asked and looked to her foot. It still hurt a lot, especially between doses of pain killers, so it was a surprise to hear that she was exceeding expectations.

"You are young," the doctor nodded. "That always helps, especially if you've been following our orders well."

"She has been," Sarah told him and Kelly knew this was true. She was resting and icing her leg as much as possible, and keeping it elevated anytime she didn't need to move around. She wasn't pushing herself anymore than she needed and her friends had all been willing to help out, making her recovery a lot easier.

"We are going to put you in a new cast," the doctor explained. "It'll still be a bit bulky, but you'll feel a difference in weight. In a few more weeks, we'll check in and hopefully the cast can come off."

"So I'll be better?"

"Well, there is still going to be some physiotherapy needed," the doctor explained. "Unfortunately, since you haven't been using your foot, the muscles will have atrophied a considerable amount. You'll need to build up their strength again, but since you are still young, you should see some progress quickly."

"I've done a lot of physio," Sarah told her girlfriend with a smile. "I can help you through it."

"Right now, we're looking good," the doctor said. "Keep up what you're doing and in our next visit, it should be more good news."

"Thank you," Kelly smiled. The doctor gave her a little nod and then headed out. Kelly pulled herself up using her crutches and turned to Sarah, who was grabbing both their bags. "That was better than I expected."

"Thinking the worst?"

"It's hard not to when it's your foot," Kelly nodded. "I thought for sure he would tell me it was dead and he would have to cut it off."

"It's not dead," Sarah shook her head.

"Then why can't I move my toes yet?"

"Because your freaking foot was crushed by a building," Sarah laughed. "It's still going to take some time, you know. You're not a Power Ranger."

"Thank goodness," Kelly nodded. "Could you imagine me as a Ranger?"

"Kicking ass and taking names?"

"More like getting my ass kicked and taking names so you could beat them up for me," Kelly chuckled.

"You'll do better than you think."

"Really?" Kelly asked. "I'm barely qualified to pass gym class, and you think I'm good enough to be a superhero. You just want to see me in spandex, don't you?"

"None of us are qualified to be superheroes."

Kelly stopped walking and looked to her girlfriend knowingly. Sarah glanced back and frowned.

"What?"

"Remind me again how much you can bench-press? Or, how fast you can run? Or wait, is that a six-pack or an eight-pack hiding under that shirt?"

"Kelly!"

"All you're missing to be superman is the glasses," Kelly smirked. "Meanwhile, I'm over here wondering how many cookies is too many?"

"No such thing," Sarah shook her head.

"You were a superhero before you got the Power Star," Kelly said. "You just didn't have the costume."

"Or the glasses, apparently," Sarah reminded her with a little laugh.

Kelly nodded her head. "Exactly! Let's just say, between the two of us, I'm glad that Power Star chose you, instead of me. I think everyone's glad."

"Well, I think you'd make a great Ranger," Sarah said with a smile.

"Uh-huh," Kelly frowned. "Galvanax is going to run in terror when he sees my cast and crutches."

"You never know. Aliens have phobias too."


	2. Better To Be Ready

Though Brody had protested it, he did need to rest. When he came to, his body felt better. He was still a little fatigued and on any other day, he would have let himself relax for the rest of the day, but not today.

He got up from his bed, put on his training uniform and headed out the door. Sarah's words to Aiden still echoed loudly in his head.

" _You had the perfect opportunity to ask for help. You knew it was the Ranger base. You knew I was a Ranger. If you had asked for help then, I'd be more inclined to believe you now, but I don't! You put Kelly' life in danger! You poisoned me. You attacked those babies and you killed…"_

 _Sarah didn't finish her sentence. Aiden reached for a ribbon from the tree and wrapped it tightly around her neck. He stood behind her, choking her with the ribbon as he glared at Brody._

The red Ranger shook his head to clear his thoughts. He made his way to the open field and picked up his sword. He trained only for a few minutes, thinking of everything he would need to do to stop his brother and trying to find the strength to destroy him when he noticed something in the corner of his eye. He was so caught up in his thoughts, he let himself imagine it was Aiden until just before he struck. He pulled back on his sword, which stopped just shy of the top of Sarah's head. She glanced up at it, then to Brody.

"You know, you shouldn't train distracted," she said. "Someone could get hurt."

"You shouldn't be standing there."

"You rushed me," Sarah reminded him. "Is Preston here?"

"Not sure."

"Have you seen him?"

"No," Brody's answers were short and impatient, like he wanted her to either get to her point or leave.

"If you see him," Sarah said, "Can you tell him I can help him with his magic show later?"

"Fine."

"You can come too," Sarah told Brody as he started to walk off, giving himself space to resume his training so he didn't slice her in two. "He's just looking for an audience for a new trick. You can give yourself a break and…"

"I have to train."

"All day?" Sarah asked.

"It's not going to be easy destroying my brother," Brody nodded his head. Sarah sighed and let him tire himself out a little more. His form was sloppy, his technique was completely off. At this rate, if Brody did have to fight his brother, it would be a losing battle for sure. So when Brody collapsed to the ground, Sarah grabbed his water bottle and offered it to him.

"You don't have to be the one to destroy him, you know," Sarah said. "In fact, we can still make that plan Z."

"He tried to kill you."

"So did you," Sarah said with a bit of a smirk. "Look, Brody, you know your brother best…"

"Obviously I don't."

"Brody…"

"I trusted him and he played me. If it hadn't been for you, we would have all been fooled. Galvanax would have the Ninja Steel and the Power Stars by now and he'd have taken over this whole planet!"

"I guess that's why we work as a team," Sarah said and Brody didn't have time for her comments. He tried to get back to his feet, but his legs were still shaky. He hated to admit it, but he still needed time to rest. Sarah too advantage of Brody being stuck on the ground to continue trying to speak with him. "Look, like I was saying, you know your brother best. Whatever happened to make him… whatever he is, maybe we can fix it. Figure out how to reverse the brainwashing or convince him he doesn't need to work for Madam Oedius or whatever we need to do, we can do it."

"The brother I knew is gone."

"You don't know that, Brody."

"He tried to kill you! The Aiden I know would have never done that! Not for anything!" Brody grabbed a clump of dirt in his hands and threw it. "That guy… that's not Aiden. That's not my brother."

"Hey, that's not a crazy idea," Sarah smirked. Brody turned to her with a frown.

"What?" he snapped impatiently.

"Maybe that's not Aiden," Sarah suggested and Brody looked to her like she had grown a second head. She shrugged. "Well, it's been ten years since you last saw him, right? I don't know about you, but I've changed a lot in ten years."

"Yeah, so did Aiden."

"I mean physically," Sarah said. "And you didn't even recognize Aiden when we first saw him."

"I… I wouldn't know what he looks like," Brody admitted. "You saw. I just took his word for it, like an idiot."

"Madam Oedius is good with manipulation, right? So maybe that wasn't Aiden at all?"

"But he's got the same memories as me. He knows things only my brother would know, like the things dad used to always say, or that song he sang to us after mom died or… you know, brother stuff."

"Do Mick and RedBot know about that stuff?"

"I've told them everything," Brody nodded. "When I was younger and when I used to get scared, Mick would distract me by asking about home. I'd tell him all about my dad and Aiden."

"And in ten years, you don't think Madam Oedius may have picked up on a thing or two?"

"It's possible, I guess," Brody nodded. "You really think there's a chance my brother is still out there?"

"Well, it's just a theory," Sarah told him. "But if we want to find out if it's the truth or not, we have to stop this Aiden."

"That's what I'm trying to do."

"Brody, look at yourself right now," Sarah gestured to his tired body. "My girlfriend could beat you up with one crutch behind her back. You're not training. You're sulking."

"I…"

"Come with me to help Preston," Sarah suggested. "Get your mind off Aiden for a while so that when he does come back, we can make the best choices to figure this out. Aiden might turn out to be exactly what you wanted, if we do this right."

Sarah rose to her feet and then offered her hand to Brody. He took it as she pulled him up and let him lean on her a bit until his legs could support his weight.

"So, Preston's working on a magic trick, huh?"

"It's a work in progress," Sarah nodded. "When he uses real magic, he's amazing. Fake magic… let's just say, there's a lot of room for improvement."

"At least he's still trying," Brody said and Sarah smiled.

-Ninja-Steel-

After her appointment, Kelly made her way back home. Sarah had already offered to help Preston with his magic show and so she had dropped Kelly off and left to find him.

The Fosters were out at work and Hayley had taken Kody for a walk through the park (at least, that's what Hayley claimed. Kelly knew she was also going to meet up with Calvin for a date). With everyone gone, she had the house to herself. It was a calm, quiet space, perfect for Kelly to get a little writing done.

She made her way to the couch, set her crutches down where they could easily be reached again and then grabbed her notebook from her bag. She browsed through some of the notes she had made last time as ideas in her head started to spin. She had already gotten permission from all the Rangers to write about their adventures, so long as, if she ever did get published, their identities wouldn't be revealed. Kelly wanted her characters to be just like her friends, but had changed some details around so those who knew them wouldn't be able to guess they were the real Rangers.

She was midway through her chapter, getting out everything she wanted to say, when she thought she saw a shadow cross the window. It made her jump, but then she shook her head. When she was writing, she could easily lose track of time. This could have been Hayley coming home from her date with Calvin.

She dove back into her writing, assuming if it was Hayley, she would let herself in, and if it wasn't, it was just someone coming by. She heard the door creak open eventually, but she didn't bother to look up. She heard footsteps moving around the house, but kept her focus on her work.

Suddenly, she felt something strange and she paused her writing to think for a minute. If this was Hayley in the house, Kody should have rushed into the room to greet her. The dog was obedient and extremely loyal, but he could also get excitable around Hayley and her friends, Kelly included. Whenever the girls came home from school, Kody was always there to greet them. So if Kody hadn't come by to say hi, something was wrong.

"I'm pretty sure the ribbon I used was orange, not red," a voice behind her said and before Kelly could turn to see who it was, something covered her head and she was dragged from the house kicking and screaming.


	3. Aiden's Confidence

Right away, Hayley knew something wasn't right.

She was on her way home from walking Kody, a task made longer by the fact that she had met up with Calvin for a picnic lunch in the park. She had only planned on being away from the house for a couple of hours, and didn't think she had gone over her time by far. While she didn't necessarily have to be home, she knew Kelly would be back from her doctor's appointment and Sarah had already agreed to help Preston with his magic show. Kelly would be home alone and though she could manage by herself, with her crutches it was always better knowing there was a helping hand nearby just in case.

Hayley didn't rush home, but she did try to stay on time. Still, as she approached her house, something wasn't right. Kody was becoming restless and tugging on his leash like he needed to get to the house as quickly as possible. He generally loved being outside, so this was odd for him.

As they turned the corner, stepping onto her street, Hayley saw a couple of police cars sitting in her driveway and her heart nearly stopped. She held Kody's leash tightly as she picked up the pace. She didn't want to come over too quickly and raise suspicion with the police, but she was eager to know what had happened. As she approached her house, she could see her neighbour on her front lawn, talking to the police. She stepped into the driveway and overheard her neighbour's statement.

"I was just in the backyard," he said. "Gardening, just like every other afternoon when I hear this screaming coming from next door. It didn't seem right so I make my way to the front but I must have just missed whatever happened. I walked in to make sure everyone was okay, but no one was home. Door was open, though. That's unusual."

"Anything else?" the office asked and he shook his head.

"Like I said, I must have just missed it."

"No cars?" the officer frowned. "No one running off? Nothing out of place in the house?"

"You can ask her," the neighbour said and pointed to Hayley. "She lives here."

The officer turned to her, and the neighbour took that as a sign that his work was done. As he headed back into the yard, Hayley gripped Kody's leash tight to keep him from running into the house.

"This your house?" the officer asked and Hayley nodded.

"My parents and I live here," she said. "They're at work."

"So no one was home?"

"My friend was," Hayley said. "I mean, she should have been. She's staying with us and said she'd be home after her appointment by now."

"Carl, there's nothing here," an officer called out from inside the house. "No signs of forced entry or struggle, nothing seems to be missing or out of place."

"My friend should be home," Hayley insisted and took out her phone. "Her girlfriend would have dropped her off. I'll see if they made it back in time."

As Hayley waited for Sarah to pick up her phone, the two officers came together to discuss what they had gathered so far. As of now, they only had the neighbour's claims that he heard a scream coming from the house, but that was it. The door was unlocked when they arrived, and it seemed nothing had been stolen or damaged. As far as they knew, the neighbour overheard someone's TV and mistook it for trouble.

"There were crutches by the couch," the officer who had been inside the house said. "I mean, it doesn't mean much. Person could have gotten into their wheelchair or used a cane or something else to walk off, but that is the only thing in the house I would say is abnormal."

Hayley overheard this and was desperate to hear from Sarah. Even more so, she hoped Kelly would still be with the pink Ranger, and that, at worse, this was just a prank gone wrong.

" _Hey Hayley!"_ Sarah finally answered.

"Is Kelly with you?" the white Ranger got straight to the point, worried if she took too long, the officers would make up their minds that this wasn't a crime and head out.

" _Dropped her off about an hour ago,"_ Sarah said. _"Are you home?"_

"She wasn't planning on going anywhere, right?" Hayley asked. "Like, some errands or…"

" _She said she was going to do some writing. Aiden going rogue or whatever inspired her next arc, or something like that."_

"So, she's home?"

" _As far as I know,"_ Sarah said and Hayley could tell her tone was beginning to shift from curious to worried. _"Why?"_

"Just meet me at my place as soon as you can," Hayley told her. She didn't want to mention her theory over the phone. Not when she wasn't even completely sure herself, though part of her did feel poorly leaving Sarah hanging like that while she hung up. The pink Ranger's imagination would surely run wild the whole way over, but Hayley didn't want to say anything until she confirmed it.

She walked over to the two officers, "My friend said she dropped her girlfriend off here an hour ago. She should be in the house."

"And you're sure about that?" the officer asked. Hayley nodded and then remembered the officers had already mentioned the crutches.

"She's got a broken foot," she said. "She needs crutches to get around and so she's been relying on us to help her with day-to-day stuff. It's unlikely she went anywhere after she was dropped off."

"Crutches, huh?" the officer who had been on the front lawn with her neighbour glanced to his partner, then gestured for Hayley to follow him. "Come this way. I'll need a description so we can file a missing person."

-Ninja-Steel-

The bag wasn't removed until Kelly was in the forest, but she had long before figured out who it was who had snatched her. Aiden hadn't been so subtle when he grabbed her and she had gotten a quick look at his face.

He pulled off the bag and sat her down on a log. He bound her hands, though Kelly didn't see the point. She couldn't run with her foot and she wouldn't dare challenge him to a fight. She knew she would lose.

She didn't say anything as he spoke through a communicator to Madam Oedius, where he had to explain that the Rangers were onto him and that taking Kelly was his best shot at getting their four remaining Power Stars and the Ninja Steel. When Madam Oedius agreed to let him follow through with his plan, on the condition that it worked, he turned to Kelly with a smirk.

"Your little girlfriend is going to regret exposing me," he said.

"You're really going to betray your brother?" Kelly asked.

"Brother?" Aiden laughed loudly and shook his head. "Are you kidding me? After all that, you still believe that bullshit?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not that loser's brother," Aiden said.

"So you lied?"

"Welcome to the dark side," Aiden smirked. "Lies, deception, manipulation; it's all part of the package."

"Brody believed you…"

"Yeah, it didn't take much to fool that idiot. All I had to do was tell him what he wanted to hear. Having those memories transferred to me feels like such a waste of time," Aiden reached into a bunch, taking out what appeared to be a blaster, though Kelly wasn't all that eager to find out for sure. He looked to it with a smile, "Though, it was fun walking down memory lane with him. Almost made me wish I did have a childhood."

"What do you mean, transferred?" Kelly asked. She couldn't get herself out of trouble, but she had to believe the Rangers wouldn't take long to find her, especially since Aiden wanted to use her to force them to give up the rest of their Power Stars. When they did find her, she wanted to have as much information as possible.

She could only hope Aiden's plan didn't go through as he wanted to. If he was sharing so much, it had to be in anticipation of killing her. She was terrified at just the thought, but remembered the last time she had been in a similar position, cowardice had done her no good. She needed to do something.

"Can't have the real Aiden popping up when Brody thinks I'm him," Aiden told her. "So Madam Oedius snatched him up and gave me his memories. She knew that red Ranger was looking for his brother and thought this would be the perfect way to get those Stars."

"So, all that other stuff you did…"

"Testing out my abilities," Aiden shrugged casually. "Trial and effort, really. But since none of that worked out, we had to adapt the plan a little. You and your girlfriend were sure to remember me, so I thought it best to just own up to my 'mistakes'," he put the word in air quotes. "Your little girlfriend wasn't as forgiving as I'd hoped, but I thought for sure I could work around that."

"Until Brody let her question you?"

"With her fighting so hard against me, I felt I needed his unwavering loyalty. When I saw I didn't have it, I knew my plan was coming undone and, I'll admit, I lost my temper a bit. Kind of like when those guardians figured out it was me behind that bomb."

"You killed Jordan on purpose, didn't you?"

"Tried to kill the other one too," Aiden said and the way his face twisted into a smirk made Kelly sick. She couldn't imagine anyone being so comfortable with murder. What made her even more scared was knowing she was alone with him, and while she had faith in Sarah and the Rangers, she couldn't be sure they had even noticed she was missing yet.

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Once I get what I want," Aiden nodded. "No sense keeping you around. Might as well have a little more fun and let that pink bitch pay for ruining everything."

"You said you kidnapped the real Aiden," Kelly hoped, since his plan was to kill her anyway, that he was still in a sharing mood. "Do you know where he is?"

The smirk seemed to grow. Aiden sat down across from her.

"He got away," he said. "But without his memories, he's really not a problem for us."

"So he's alive?"

"For now," Aiden nodded. "I'm going to change that, though. Very soon." He looked to the blaster in his hand, "In fact, why don't you help me choose the pecking order?"

"The pecking order?"

"I have a few business killings scheduled for today," Aiden answered. "White, blue, yellow, doesn't really matter what order they go, or even how it happens. Slow, painful, short and sweet, that's really up to how much they resist."

Kelly noticed he hadn't mentioned Sarah, Brody or Levi. By the way Aiden spoke, she could tell he had a grudge against Sarah for never believing in him, and she could assume that his sick mind would enjoy killing the Ranger who believed he was his brother, but Kelly couldn't put her finger on why he hadn't included Levi with the others.

"And pink, red and gold?"

"Is that the pecking order?" Aiden asked, then shrugged. "Hmm, guess that makes sense for you. Girlfriend doesn't have to watch the others die slowly."

"So, Gold, Levi, he's different from the others?" her eyes suddenly widened, "Wait! Does that mean…?"

"Wouldn't that be a plot twist for your book?" Aiden chuckled. "Red Ranger's long-lost brother has actually been his teammate this whole time. Chapter practically writes itself."

"Levi is the guy you kidnapped? Wait, Levi Weston is Brody's brother? But… but no one reported him missing. He had concert dates and…"

"Please, he was hardly gone long enough for anyone to notice," Aiden said. "Of course, we planned on it being longer, but when the ship was hit by that Zord, he somehow got a hold of his Power Star and he just… jumped."

"And you didn't go after him?"

"I wanted to," Aiden said. "But Madam Oedius said we had what we needed from him. Without his memories, he couldn't ruin our plan and we would get the Power Star back anyways. The extra Ranger showing up was enough of a distraction for Galvanax to keep him off our backs for a while."

"So Levi is Brody's brother and you're just… a human who sided with the bad guys?"

"Human? What an insult," Aiden shook his head but before he could say anymore he heard a rustle in the trees. He hadn't yet called the Rangers to make his announcement and demand the Power Stars and Ninja Steel in exchange for Kelly. He didn't think they could catch onto him so soon. Still, not wanting to be caught off guard he grabbed Kelly, wrapped his arm around her neck and pointed the blaster to her head just as a man stepped out into the clearing.

Kelly felt her heart racing as Aiden grabbed her and her life flashed quickly before her eyes when the blaster pressed into the side of her head. Aiden's finger was on the trigger and all he needed to do was squeeze it just enough for it to shoot. She could be dead in any second.

"Whoa!" she heard the stranger call out when he stepped out from the trees to see what was happening and Kelly recognized him immediately as Sarah's uncle Shane. She knew from Sarah that he had been a former Ranger and was a Sensei at the same Ninja Academy Brody's father once attended. It wasn't the help she had been looking for, but she prayed it was good enough.

"Who the hell are you?" Aiden shouted when he saw Shane, "I'll blow her head clean off if you try anything!"

"Relax," Shane said and put his hands up, showing he was unarmed. He was dressed like he had been out for a run, so Kelly assumed he didn't have any weapons at all on him, and since he was a former Ranger, she doubted he still had any powers. "It's just a wrong place, wrong time situation."

"What are you doing out here?" Aiden growled and Kelly winced when she felt the blaster press a little deeper into her head.

"Staying in shape," Shane answered. "The body doesn't stay fit on its own, you know. You?"

"None of your business," Aiden said.

"What about you?" Shane asked and looked to Kelly. Aiden tightened his hold around her neck to signal to her not to speak.

"She's with me," he answered for her.

"She doesn't look like she's having fun," Shane said. "Look, I've got no idea what's going on here. I'm not armed, so why don't you set the blaster down and let her relax a little. No one needs to get hurt."

"That's not how I see it," Aiden said. He gestured with a nod of his head to a log, "You, sit."

"My name is Shane," Shane told him as he sat on the log. "Yours?"

"None of your damn business. Now sit down and shut up," Aiden said and Kelly felt his arm release from around her neck, but the blaster was still pressed against her head. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and tossed it to Shane, then wrapped his arm around Kelly again. "I need you to make a call for me."

"Alright. Who?"

"Anyone on that list," Aiden said. "Put the phone on speaker."

Shane looked through Aiden's contact and recognized the names. Brody's was at the top, followed by Calvin, Hayley's, Levi's and Preston's. He only had five of the Rangers, but since they were his only contacts, Shane was quickly able to figure out who this was.

He tried not to get too involved with Sarah's Ranger life. He wanted to know what was going on, in case she was ever in any trouble, but he knew it was best to let her and her team figure out what they needed to do for themselves and he let her come to him if she needed help. Often, Sarah would vent to him if there was a monster or a battle that had particularly frustrated her and lately, Shane had to listen to her go on about how she didn't trust Brody's long-lost brother Aiden. He also knew that distrust climaxed when Aiden revealed his true intentions to Brody by choking Sarah when she questioned him.

Sarah had been the only one of the Rangers to completely distrust Aiden from the start. So it made sense he had all their numbers but hers.

"Rangers, huh?" Shane asked. "I know them."

"Then give them a damn call."

"My niece is a Ranger," Shane looked to Aiden. "I'm sure you're very aware that's her girlfriend in your arms."

"Make the damn call or hers won't be the only funeral."

"The Rangers know they can't trust you," Shane said and hoped he wasn't pushing his luck with Kelly's life. "You call them, from this phone, they'll know they're walking into trouble."

"Make the fucking call old man, or…"

"Let me call my niece," Shane offered. "She trusts me. She'll come here with her team, no questions asked, completely unaware of whatever you've got planned."

Aiden paused for a moment as he contemplated Shane's offer. He didn't know if the Rangers were aware of trouble yet, but if they weren't, Shane's offer was way too perfect to pass up. They would be walking to their deaths without even knowing it, giving him complete advantage.

And if they were aware of trouble, getting a call from someone they trusted might cause them to lower their guards just enough for Aiden to get what he needed from them.

"I want it on speaker. No tricks."

"No tricks," Shane promised and took out his own phone to call Sarah. As he dialled, he looked to Kelly and gave her a quick wink.

"Hey! I said no tricks!" Aiden shouted when he saw the wink and he pointed his blaster at Shane. The former red Ranger was quick to strike, kicking Aiden's hand and knocking out the blaster from his hand. He then grabbed Kelly, pulling her from Aiden's hand while he was still caught off guard.

Shane knew Kelly couldn't run, so he would have to disappear. As Aiden lunged for him, Shane used his powers to whip up a powerful windstorm that blew sand and dirt up, blinding Aiden just long enough for Shane to grab Kelly and streak off.

When the storm settled, Aiden looked around, only to find his two prisoners gone.

"Dammit!" he screamed loudly and kicked the log Shane had been sitting on, sending it flying through the trees. "Next fucking soul I see in a bright colour is dead!"

He scooped up his blaster and raced off into the woods, certain his prisoners couldn't have gotten far.


	4. Fight A Ninja

Shane brought Kelly to a dense part of the woods. He had considered heading back to the city to tell the Rangers what had just happened, but Aiden was clearly the angry, murdering type and Shane didn't think it would be wise to bring him near innocent civilians.

The dense forest would provide them with enough cover, and Shane was in tune enough with the environment that he would be able to sense if someone approached. Kelly would be safe here for now, until he could come up with a new plan.

He set her down, leaning her against a tree. She was alert and fortunately unharmed, but very shaken. It had only been seconds since Aiden had the blaster pressed to her head, so it would be a little time still before that panic wore off.

"You're okay," he promised as he kneeled in front of her, untying her hands. Kelly tried to calm her breathing and looked around to be sure she was safe. Shane gave her a comforting smile. "He's miles away, now."

"He's a freaking psycho," Kelly muttered and Shane nodded his head.

"Yeah, I clued into that."

"Brody!" Kelly called out in alarm and looked to Shane, "He needs to know! Aiden isn't his brother."

"We'll tell him that when we get a chance," Shane assured her. "Right now, the important thing is getting Aiden off our backs."

"No, Brody needs to know," Kelly stressed. "He needs to know who his brother really is. Aiden told me everything because he was sure he would get to kill me!"

The panic returned to her eyes as Shane noticed the younger girl was still processing her abduction. It would be a lot to hit her at once between the kidnapping, Aiden's apparent secrets, and the very real threat of death.

"Aiden isn't his brother," Kelly repeated to Shane, "But I know who is. We can stop Aiden. We don't have to hold back."

"We won't," Shane promised, then tapped the communicator on Kelly's wrist. "Call your friends now, alright? Let them know we need them to find us."

Kelly nodded her head and called for Sarah through the communicator. Shane let her speak as he rose to his feet and had a look around. He hoped there would be something nearby he could use as a landmark for the Rangers to find them.

As he glanced through the trees, he heard a slight creak. It was barely loud enough to be considered a noise, but Shane was sure there was something nearby.

Suddenly, a shot was fired from the trees, and Shane was hit in the chest with a powerful blast. It knocked him back into a thick tree truck and before he could hit the ground, he was kicked in the stomach and doubled over. When he finally fell, he looked up to see Aiden smirking at him.

"You didn't think you could get away from me, did you?"

"How?" Shane asked. He tried to get to his feet, but Aiden smacked him across the face with the blaster, causing Shane to fall and hit the ground hard. He was already nursing a bad headache and his vision blurred.

"I was programmed to fight ninjas, you old fool," Aiden said with a chuckle, then he kicked Shane once in the ribs and a second time in the head. He left the red Ranger lying limp as his gaze switched over to Kelly.

She was on her feet, leaning against the tree as she watched him. Aiden knew she couldn't run. It had been why he had chosen her. She was the easiest prey and wouldn't be able to fight back even if she wanted to.

"Are they coming?" he asked and pointed to her communicator. Kelly glanced to it, then to Aiden.

"Y-You're going to kill me regardless, right?"

"This does end in death," Aiden nodded. "But you can choose whether you're live or dead bait."

Kelly gulped as Aiden approached her. His blaster was in his hand and she noticed there was some fresh blood on the side from when he struck Shane. The former Ranger continue to lay on the ground unmoving and Kelly had no idea where her friends were or if they would make it in time.

"Live or die?" Aiden asked once more as he levelled his blaster at her. "If you don't pick, I will."

"Live," Kelly said. Aiden gave a little nod, then grabbed her arm and pulled her in close. He put his arm around her neck and pressed his blaster into her head.

"Have you called your friends?" he asked. Kelly nodded her head. "Good."

-Ninja-Steel-

Back in the city, the Rangers gathered in the base. Hayley had already alerted Sarah that Kelly had gone missing but once that was followed by a call from Kelly through the communicator asking for help, the Rangers knew they needed to act quickly.

However, they also needed a plan. Kelly had been able to tell them that Aiden had struck again. They didn't want to underestimate him.

"Is it the best idea for you to go after him?" Calvin asked and looked to Brody and Sarah. Both had lost their Power Stars to Aiden when they had last seen him and so were without their powers.

"I can't just sit here," Sarah answered the yellow Ranger, then looked to Brody. He nodded his head.

"We have to stop Aiden from hurting anyone else," he agreed. "I know it's not likely, but maybe I can get through to him."

"But he's got your Power Stars," Preston said. "Who knows what he did with them?"

"I'm getting Kelly back," Sarah frowned. "We're not arriving two Rangers short."

"You will need to watch our backs," Brody said. "But Sarah and I can handle ourselves down there."

"If you guys are sure," Levi said and the pink and red Rangers nodded. "Alright, just be careful."

"I've got a lock on her location," Mick announced from the computer. "I've sent the coordinates to your communicators. You might want to move fast, there's a huge energy reading around her. Something tells me Aiden's having a little too much fun with your Power Stars."

"Alright, let's do this," Brody said but just as he turned to leave, Calvin grabbed his arm.

"You know what you might have to do, right?" he asked and felt Brody tense up, but the red Ranger nodded.

"I know."

"If reasoning with him doesn't work, we will need to…"

"I know," Brody said. "I'm ready. It needs to be done."

Calvin nodded and let Brody lead the way out. Levi and Preston followed him, and Hayley was right behind them after a quick look to Calvin. The yellow Ranger was about to leave as well when he noticed Sarah had stayed behind. He turned to her.

"I thought you'd be out the door already. Come on…"

"Calvin…"

"We're gonna save her, Sarah," he promised, but Sarah still seemed troubled. He sighed, "What?"

"That's my priority."

"I know," Calvin nodded and gestured to the door. "So let's go."

"No, Calvin, my priority is saving Kelly. You have to promise me, no matter what…"

"Don't think like that," Calvin shook his head and put his hands on Sarah's shoulders. "You're gonna save her, Sarah. You'll bring her home."

"But, Calvin, if I can't…"

"You will," Calvin insisted. "But hey, worse come to worse, I'll get her home for you. I promise."

Sarah smiled, nodded and then raced Calvin out after their friends.


	5. Brody's Call

Kelly had ducked behind a mound of dirt, trying to keep as small as possible. Not long after she had made her distress call to the Rangers, they showed up. Kelly hadn't intended on doubting them, but Aiden had shown how twisted he was, and she hadn't been sure she would still be alive by the time the Rangers found her.

Unfortunately, whoever Aiden was, or whatever he was, he was powerful. Kelly had overheard him tell Shane he had been programmed to fight ninjas, which worried her twice over. First: he was made for this. Fighting the Rangers was his mission and he was more than ready to handle the six of them together without support from Madam Oedius or Kudabots. Second: Kelly was sure this meant he wasn't human. He wouldn't speak of his own programming so forwardly if it had been brainwashing. The point of brainwashing was that the victim didn't know about it.

So Kelly had no idea who the Rangers were fighting, but she did know that they were two Ranger powers short of a full team. It made her sick to her stomach just thinking about it.

She heard a loud blast and a cry. She wanted to jump up and see what was doing on, but she knew better. If she showed herself, she was likely going to be shot on the spot, or hit by a stray attack from the Rangers. She had to wait. She had to hope for the best.

She wanted to talk to Brody, though. She hoped he would come and check up on her. He had no reason to, of course. He knew if she stayed where she was, she was safe, but over the sound of the battle, the blasts and the cries, Kelly could hear Brody trying to reason with Aiden. The red Ranger was trying to tap into their childhood memories in the hopes that Aiden would choose to stop fighting the Rangers and truly accept responsibility for what he had done.

Kelly knew that would never happen. Brody was wasting his breath. Aiden wasn't Brody's brother and didn't care about their shared memories. She wasn't sure how Madam Oedius had done it, but she had somehow transferred Levi's memories into Aiden.

Levi himself wasn't aware of this, or Kelly was sure he would have mentioned something if he had been. Her time captive in Madam Oedius lab was still a strong, vivid memory for her. There was no way she would be able to supress it. Kelly assumed when Madam Oedius transferred the memories, she made Levi forget who he really was.

In the end, Aiden couldn't be reasoned with. Kelly knew that much. Brody would fail, and Kelly wasn't sure he was truly ready to admit that to himself yet. Without knowing the truth, Kelly wasn't sure if Brody would ever make the call to kill Aiden.

A huge blast shook the ground, and Kelly heard the Rangers cry out loudly. Aiden's laugh followed, which sent a chill down Kelly's spine. She could no longer resist taking a peak and seeing what was happening.

Turning around, she poked her head up slightly over the top of the mound. On the battlefield, she saw the six Rangers were on the ground, reeling from the blast. Aiden stood over them, looking extremely arrogant as he admired his own blaster.

"Powerful, huh?" he said. "Would you believe this was my own creation?"

"Aiden, you don't have to do this," Brody told him. "Whatever Madam Oedius promised you, or whatever threat she's made, it's not worth it. We can help you."

"Oh, like how you helped me at the Ribbon Tree?" Aiden shook his head. "Yeah, thanks for sitting in the audience for my third-degree, little brother."

"Put the blaster down," Brody begged. "And we can figure something out."

"I like shooting it better," Aiden said and pointed the blaster at the Rangers. They were barely sitting up, still shaken from the last blast. The four who had been able to morph were now back in their training gear, indicating they had taken quite a powerful hit themselves. The fact that Brody and Sarah were both still alive indicated to Kelly that their four friends had kept them safe.

But now, without powers and without a chance to morph, Aiden's next shot could prove lethal. Kelly couldn't let him take that shot.

As Aiden placed his finger on the trigger, ignoring Brody's pleas for him to stop, Kelly glanced down at the ground and saw a rock. It was all she had to distract Aiden, so it would have to do. She picked it up, and with everything she had, she threw the rock at Aiden.

It missed him – by far – but it did alert him that she was still around. Aiden's gaze shifted from the Rangers, to Kelly in hiding and his blaster found a new target.

"You fucking asshole!" Sarah shouted and leap to her feet to charge Aiden before he could shoot Kelly. She tackled him, and Preston, Calvin, Hayley and Levi were quick to follow her, morphing so they could have her back. Her distraction not only worked, but brought Brody closer to her as he came to help her find a new hiding spot.

"Thanks for that, but you need to stay hidden," he said as he came around, ducking behind the mound with her. As he reached to help her up, Kelly grabbed his arm tight.

"You need to kill him."

"Kelly…"

"He isn't your brother," she told him. She could hear the fight had resumed full force behind her and knew she didn't have time. "Look, I can't explain it now, but you just have to trust me. Aiden isn't your brother. He never was. You need to kill him, otherwise he won't stop."

"But…"

"Brody, please!" she grabbed his chest padding now, gripping tightly in desperation. Brody looked to her, then to his brother. From the moment he realized Aiden wasn't who he had claimed to be, he knew there was a chance he would have to destroy his brother for good. However, now that the moment presented itself, he wasn't sure he could do it. Kelly pulled on his suit, "Brody!"

He glanced at her, then back to the battlefield, where his friends were in the fight of their lives against Aiden. They were holding back out of respect for him, but if they didn't fight at full strength soon, they were bound to lose. He then focused his gaze on Sarah, who had been proven right about Aiden when he strangled her by the Ribbon Tree.

He looked to Shane, who had been dragged behind a thick tree and still lay unconscious after trying to protect Kelly from Aiden.

"You have to stop him!" Kelly shouted, shaking him a little and Brody finally looked to her. She had been kidnapped by Aiden three times now and had to watch as he poisoned her girlfriend as well as live with the knowledge that he had killed her father and a Silver Guardian.

Kelly had been right about Aiden once already when she sided with Sarah in their feud. He needed to trust her. He gave Kelly a little nod, then got to his feet and raced to fight.

He wouldn't hold back. If Aiden needed to be stopped, Brody would be the one to do it. Kelly watched Brody rush into battle and noticed he took Aiden by surprise. It seemed he hadn't anticipated for Brody to turn against him completely. He had underestimated just how far the red Ranger would go to protect his friends.

Seeing Brody giving this fight everything he had encouraged the Rangers to do the same and they joined in with their relentless attacks. Aiden tried to hold them off with shots from his blaster, but they were so spread out and moving around so quickly, it was hard to hit.

"Damn ninjas," he growled before he was suddenly hit on the back. He sprawled forward, his blaster falling out of his hand. Levi was quick to scoop it up, but then he hesitated.

"Do it!" Brody shouted from behind Aiden. "Levi, just shoot! Everyone shoot!"

There was another minute of hesitation – maybe less, but Kelly couldn't tell. The rest of the fight played out in slow motion as Aiden got to his feet, only to be hit by a blast from all sides as Levi, Preston, Hayley and Calvin shot him.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air, but there was no scream. When the smoke cleared, Aiden's body was twitching and the Rangers were hesitant to approach. Suddenly, sparks flew out from Aiden's body and as his skin melted away, his wiring was exposed.

Brody fell to his knees, looking on in shock, "A… a robot? Aiden was a robot? All this time?"

Calvin and Preston came to his side to comfort him while Levi approached Aiden for an inspection. When he did, he noticed Brody and Sarah's Power Stars had been implanted into Aiden's body, providing him with the extra power boost.

As he reached to grab them, he felt something flow through his body. At first he thought it was a shock, but when his body felt perfectly fine while his head started to spin, he thought maybe it was worse than that. He stumbled slightly as memories started to hit him. He saw himself making the decision to take on the name Levi Weston as a child before being placed in the care of the people he had believed were his real parents. He remembered finding the gold Power Star in the Prism and knowing exactly what it was as he pulled it out. He remembered being kidnapped shortly after by Madam Oedius and having his memories taken from him.

But most of all, he remembered who Aiden really was. As his vision returned, he glanced over to Brody.

"It… it was me," he said and his friends looked to him. "Aiden… I'm Aiden."

"What?" Hayley frowned as she dusted herself off.

"I'm Aiden!" Levi said and pointed to Aiden's body. "That… that thing stole my memories! He was never Aiden! I was!"

"Levi…"

"I'm serious," he insisted. "Madam Oedius she… It's hard to explain on the spot but she put my memories in Aiden… in that! I'm Aiden!"

"It's true," Kelly announced as she leaned on Sarah, finally able to come out of hiding. "Aiden told me everything while we waited for you guys to show up. Levi is Aiden."

"No," Brody shook his head. After the chaos the last Aiden had caused him, he almost didn't want to believe it.

"Brody, I mean it," Levi said. "Dad, he told me to run, to hide the Ninja Steel. I left a clue for you and then put the ninja steel in the trophy case at school before I ran and… I had to change my name, just in case Galvanax came looking for me."

"You already knew that story," Brody shook his head.

"Mom died when you were four," Levi said. "It was a car accident, when she was coming home from work. A blue car T-Boned her."

Brody glared at Levi. None of his friends knew that. He didn't speak of his mother much, mostly because he had been so young when she died, he had very few memories of her.

"We were distraught when we found out, but dad knew what to do," Levi said. "He wrote us a song. We are family. He sang it with us every single night."

Brody's face softened. There was too much detail, especially since he had never mentioned any of this before to his friends, especially Levi. If he knew all this, it meant it had to be true.

"You're Aiden? You…."

"Aiden… him," Kelly pointed to Aiden's body, "Said Madam Oedius knew you were looking for your brother, Brody. So when she found him first, she decided to try and use him against us. Aiden was never your brother, he just had his memories."

"I.. I can't believe it," Brody said softly, then took one more look at Levi and smiled. He rushed into his brother's arms. Levi wrapped him up tight and let out a breathe he hadn't known he was holding in.

"You found me, little brother," Levi smiled. "I knew you would."


	6. The Romero Brothers

Jenny raced out to the driveway when she happened to notice a bruised Calvin and Preston were dragging her badly beaten brother home. Sarah and Kelly, also both hanged up, trailed behind, with Kelly using Sarah as a crutch.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, but didn't stop the Rangers from coming into the house as she followed them. She closed the door to ensure privacy and let Calvin and Preston set Shane on the couch.

"Would you believe we won?" Sarah said. She helped Kelly into a chair and then looked to her step-mother with a nervous smile.

"I'm fine," Shane coughed, surprising Jenny because she didn't think he was conscious at all. "Just… a broken rib or two."

"And a concussion," Sarah added. "And a bad cut and…" she trailed off when she saw Jenny glaring at her. Clearly her mother didn't need the list of injuries.

"We beat Aiden," Calvin explained. "He won't be a problem anymore."

"Well, the bad Aiden," Preston said. "That's a long story."

"It really doesn't look like you beat anyone," Jenny frowned. "You're telling me this is what it looks like when Power Rangers save the day?"

"We're alive," Sarah nodded. Jenny crossed her arms over her chest, then turned her gaze to her brother, "Should we take you to the hospital?"

"I'll be fine," Shane promised her. "I've taken much worse beatings from much more powerful monsters. A day or two, and I'll be back on my feet."

"Shane…"

"I'm serious," he looked to her with a reassuring smile. "All I need right now is some water."

"I'll grab it," Preston offered.

Jenny sighed as she shook her head, "I've really got to pack a first aid kit that has more than just some band-aids and gauze, huh?"

"That would be helpful," Calvin chuckled as he started to leave. "I hate to run, but Hayley's got a whole mess of explaining to do to the police and I told her I'd be back to help." He turned to Kelly, "Want a ride home?"

"Tell the Fosters I'm here," Kelly answered. "Let them know I'm okay."

"Will do," Calvin nodded and headed out. Preston returned to the living room with a glass of water for Shane and then looked to Jenny.

"I should get back too. Something tells me now that Levi and Brody are brothers, Levi might want his old room back."

"Wait, what?" Jenny frowned. "I thought Aiden was Brody's brother."

"Long story," Preston said. "I need to move my stuff, though."

As Preston left, Jenny turned to her step-daughter, "So, is this how it's going to be from here on out. Half the Power Rangers show up bruised and bloody, dump their stuff here and then just leave?"

"Normally we head back to the Ranger base first, but we thought Shane might want to rest at home," Sarah answered. Jenny sighed.

"I… I… Is there anything I can do?"

"Lunch?" Sarah asked. "I sorta skipped it."

"Me too," Kelly said.

"I could eat a horse right now," Shane added.

Jenny turned and made her way to the kitchen while mumbling under her breath, "My family the freaking Power Rangers and all I know how to do is make lunch…"

-Ninja-Steel-

Brody was still in awe and excitement as he brought Levi back home. He couldn't believe all this time his brother had been right under his nose.

He had been very disappointment when reality hit him that Aiden was a disappointment. Brody had always imagined reuniting with his brother under happy circumstances. They would meet, share all their stories from their time apart, and immediately resume the friendship and close bond they shared as brothers. Aiden would help with Ranger duties and Brody would have someone by his side who he could confide in.

Aiden – the robot created by Madam Oedius – had been nothing but disappointment. He had caused trouble from the start by hurting Brody's friends, creating distrust within the team. Brody admittedly had been blinded by what he wanted, he didn't take even a second to consider this was all a trap – a way for Madam Oedius to get exactly what she wanted. It had almost cost him dearly, and Brody had to live with that for the rest of his life.

When Aiden showed his true intentions, Brody, still believing the robot was his flesh and blood, thought it was time to give up on his joyful reunion with his older brother. He believed his family was gone, and that fateful day with Ripcon would be the last memory he had with them.

As it turned out, Madam Oedius had one last trick up her sleeve – one Brody would be forever grateful for. She had kidnapped Levi, stealing his memories to implant them in a warrior who would be forever loyal to her. Once that solder was destroyed, the memories returned to Levi, and he was able to announce to Brody that he was the brother he had been looking for all along.

One of his best friends was now his brother. Brody could not imagine a better ending.

"So, what should I call you?" Brody asked. Levi had already explained that once he had been forced to run away from home and hide, he had changed his name. He adopted the name Levi and when he was eventually ground by foster care, they placed him in the Weston home. His new parents adopted him as soon as they could and he took on their name. Everyone now knew him as Levi except for Brody.

"Maybe just stick to Levi," he said. "Just to keep things simple. If that's okay?"

Brody was a little disappointed. Aiden was his brother. It would take some getting used to, but he did nod his head. This was his brother's name, after all.

"It might take some getting used to."

"You're already used to calling me that," Levi said. "But no matter what you call me, we're still brothers."

"I can't believe it," Brody beamed. "It's been ten years and… I knew I'd find you again. I knew, as long as I never gave up, that this would happen."

"I'm glad," Levi set his empty suitcase down on his old bed and then looked to his brother. Despite recent events, Levi couldn't help but feel like it was Brody who had been worse off all these years. Levi had been alone for weeks before he was found and placed in foster care, and at just ten years old, that had been a very painful time, but he had made it through. His father had taught him how to survive and not even a month later he was placed with a couple he now considered his parents. They raised him as their son and eventually allowed him to leave home to follow his passion. He had a wonderful life, even though, in the back of his mind, he still remembered that faithful day back home. He remembered losing his father and brother.

Madam Oedius took that from him and for a while, there was no pain. When Levi escaped captivity, his mind was still so raw from the memory transfer that when he woke up the next day, it was like it never happened. His manager had wondered where he had gotten too, worried Levi was in trouble, but beyond that, Levi was fine.

And all along, Brody had been a prisoner on Galvanax's ship, worried for his life every day until his escape only a few months ago. His brother had to grow up a slave and in fear.

He knew he had still only been a child when Ripcon attacked. He knew he had only done what his father had asked of him. He knew it had all worked out for the best. Brody was okay and they were finally reunited, but Levi was ashamed with himself. He had lived out the perfect childhood after the attack. His little brother had suffered.

"Brody…"

"It's going to be so awesome being together again," Brody said with a smile. "We can fix up the workshop a bit and have it as an extra Ranger base or something. We can go over some of dad's lessons, compare what we both remember and stuff. You can teach me how to play guitar and…"

"Whoa, Brody, that's a lot to do, don't you think? Fixing up the workshop? Havin two bases?"

"The school's already been attacked. It might help," Brody said. "Besides, it doesn't have to be a base. We can make it a recording studio or something if you want. That way you can still make music. Maybe we can even write some songs and stuff together."

"I'd like that," Levi nodded his head, but it was clear to both him and the red Ranger that his enthusiasm couldn't compare to Brody's. The younger Romero's face fell slightly as he looked to his older brother.

"Levi? Is everything okay?"

"I have a lot to think about, still," Levi answered him.

"Are you still missing some memories?" Brody asked. "I'm sure they'll come back to you. You've got the important ones, though. You remembered being my brother and…"

"They're all back, that I'm sure of," Levi said. He turned around and looked to his brother, "I should have come for you earlier."

"Huh?"

"After I ran away. I mean, I didn't know how long dad wanted me to stay in hiding but… if I had gone looking for you earlier, maybe I could have helped. Maybe I could have rescued you, instead of you trying all this time to escape. I'm your big brother, Brody and…"

"Levi, you couldn't have rescued me," Brody shook his head. Levi frowned.

"I should have done something. When my parents… when the Westons took me in… I thought about you, every day. I wondered if you were okay and… When I was old enough, years ago, I should have tried to find you."

"I was across the galaxy," Brody said. "Once we left Earth ten years ago, we didn't come back. Unless you had a space ship, there was nothing you could do. I knew we had to get back to Earth. I knew once we did, that would be my chance to get out."

"Then I should have been there for you then," Levi said.

"How?" Brody asked. He approached his brother and smiled as he put a hand on his shoulder. "Levi, what happened to us sucked but… I was the one out in space. I knew the moment Ripcon grabbed me that I would have to fight my way back."

"Brody…"

"All I wanted, all I hoped for was that I would be able to find you someday," Brody smiled. "And I have."

"So… you're not mad?"

Brody shook his head, "You didn't let me down, Levi. Aiden did, well the robot Aiden did. You were exactly what I was hoping for."

Levi gave his little brother a bright smile and pulled him into his arms. As the brothers hugged each other tight, Preston looked on from the door with a little smirk.

"Wow, mushy. Not what you would expect from a cowboy and his ninja brother."

"Shut up," Levi chuckled. He noticed the empty bag in Preston's hand and realized why the blue Ranger had come by. Preston had been living with Brody, in Levi's old bedroom after he left his parents. Now that Levi remembered who he was, he had taken over his room, forgetting it was already occupied. "Oh, Preston, I…"

"Relax," Preston shrugged, waving off Levi's concerns. "You two have been separated long enough and this was only supposed to be temporary anyways. Give me a couple of nights to sleep on the couch and by then hopefully I'll have a new place to stay."

"What? No way," Brody shook his head and grabbed Preston's bag, "You can stay here, with us."

"Brody…"

"Dad's room is still empty," Brody said and he looked to Levi, "It doesn't make sense to keep it that way when Preston needs somewhere to stay, right."

"You guys really don't have to," Preston insisted. "That's your dad's room and like I said, you two have been separated long enough. I don't want to impose on some brother moments."

"Hey, I agree with my little bro, here," Levi said with a smile. "While I miss dad like crazy, he wouldn't want his room sitting empty when we could be helping a friend instead. Let us clear it out, take care of his things and then it's all yours."

"Seriously? Isn't it the master bedroom. Shouldn't one of you…"

"It's all yours," the brothers insisted and Preston knew he couldn't refuse again.

"Thank you," Preston said and set his empty bag down in the hall.


End file.
